ECSWE 2025

Department of Social Work contributes to productive exchange at international conference on Social Work Education

The ECSWE (European Conference on Social Work Education) recently took place at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. This international conference is organized every two years by the European Association of Schools of Social Work (EASSW). The EASSW is a global association of Social Work Education institutions and individuals involved in the training of social workers.

Over four days in Salzburg, the agenda featured an extremely diverse program of exciting keynotes, panels, and workshops. The MCI Department of Social Work actively participated in the conference in various roles.

Iris Altenberger (MCI), Karen Meixner (FH Joanneum), and Geraldine Graham (UWS Scotland) examined the role of social workers in the context of climate change and thus the connection between Social Work and environmental justice.

As part of an international research collaboration, Social Work scientists from the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and FH Joanneum (Austria) investigated how social workers in Scotland and Austria deal with the issue of climate change in their practice. In a comparative qualitative study, the perspectives of social workers were collected and presented in a presentation using anonymized quotes and visual representations—created with the express consent of the participants.

The researchers used art-based methods to engage participants and enable new perspectives on the role of Social Work in addressing the climate crisis.

As little is known about the connection between Social Work and climate change, this project makes an important contribution to knowledge building while promoting awareness and activism within the Social Work profession in addressing environmental challenges.

Moritz Reisberger (MCI) together with Katharina Auer-Voigtländer (FH St. Pölten) and Johanna Muckenhuber (FH Joanneum) as representatives of the “Research” working group of the Austrian Society for Social Work (ogsa) led a panel that dealt with international perspectives on dissertations in Social Work. In this panel, colleagues from the USA, Scotland, Great Britain, Germany, and the Czech Republic exchanged views on the framework conditions and opportunities for PhD research projects.

Perspectives on the current situation regarding the training of social workers and social educators at universities and universities of applied sciences in their respective countries of origin were also openly discussed. The conclusion: the starting conditions for doctorates and training structures are not the same everywhere, and in times of diverse international crises, it is important to continue to advocate locally and globally for practical and scientifically oriented training in Social Work. Doctorates are particularly important in this context in order to further develop one's own discipline in an evidence-based, innovative, and professional manner. In Austria, the “Research” working group of the Austrian Society for Social Work (ogsa) is committed to promoting research, young academics, and doctoral projects in Social Work, among other priorities.

Further contributions can be found in the review on the conference website.

The Department of Social Work is delighted with the lively discussions on the further development of teaching and research in the international higher education landscape and with the active participation of our colleagues in the ECSWE 2025 conference!